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Nerf Herder
| current_members = * Parry Gripp * Steve Sherlock * Ben Pringle * Linus of Hollywood | past_members = * Charlie Dennis * Dave Ehrlich * Pete Newbury * Marko 72 * Justin Fisher }} Nerf Herder is an American rock band from Santa Barbara, California, formed in 1994 by Parry Gripp (vocals, guitar), Charlie Dennis (bass) and Steve Sherlock (drums). They describe themselves as a "geek rock" band, and are known for simplistic modern punk-style songs with frequently humorous, juvenile, and pop-culture-referencing lyrics. Their 1997 single "Van Halen", a tribute to the band of the same name, received significant radio airplay and led to their first major record deal with Arista Records. They also composed and performed the theme music to the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. History Nerf Herder was formed in Santa Barbara in 1994 by Parry Gripp (vocals, guitar), Charlie Dennis (bass), and Steve Sherlock (drums). Dennis left the band after the release of their debut self-titled album, and was replaced first by Pete Newbury, with Dave Ehrlich also joining as a second guitarist. Newbury's tenure touring with the band was, however, short-lived. He was briefly replaced in 1999 by bassist Marko 72, and then by Justin Fisher, who played bass and keyboards on two albums (How To Meet Girls & American Cheese). In 1999, Nerf Herder asked Arista to release them from their contract, so they could move forward with a new record, How To Meet Girls, with Honest Don's Records, a subsidiary of Fat Wreck Chords. A special EP for My Records (run by Joey Cape from Lagwagon) entitled My EP was released in 2001, and was followed in 2002 by their album American Cheese. In April 2003, Nerf Herder appeared as the musical guest in the final-season Buffy episode "Empty Places" – the very last band to play at The Bronze. Their special connection to the series was further acknowledged by a bit of dialogue, as "Rock City News" played in the background: :Kennedy: What kind of band plays during an apocalypse? :Dawn: I think this band might actually be one of the signs. By 2003, after the final American Cheese tour dates—during which time Ben Pringle (also of The Rentals during 2005–2008) had replaced Fisher (who had left amicably to front his own band, Psoma)—the band disintegrated. No official split was announced, but a post by Gripp on the band's website some time afterwards detailed how most of the former band members had gone on to get normal jobs. Gripp did some work as a jingle writer, which led to his 2005 solo album For Those About To Shop, We Salute You, a 51-track concept album mimicking various musical styles and focusing on product commercialization. In late 2005, Nerf Herder made a surprise comeback, announcing on their website that they were playing a handful of gigs with the original lineup of Gripp, Dennis, and Sherlock. For Gripp's May 7, 2007 review of the day, he announced that the original lineup had finally finished recording their 4th album, which did not have a title at that time. Gripp stated that he wanted the title to be Brownerton, but that idea was shot down. He also stated that of the 13 songs recorded, they would probably pick 10 to be on the album. In June 2007, the band decided on the title Nerf Herder IV, and the album was released through Oglio Records on April 29, 2008. Pringle returned, and Former Size 14 singer Linus of Hollywood joined the live band (playing guitar and keyboard) in early 2008 for a series of West Coast shows and a short tour of Japan. In 2014, Nerf Herder began working on album number five, entitled Rockingham, which was released on March 11, 2016. As of 2018, Nerf Herder has continued to perform live and is currently writing and recording new material. Origin of band name The band takes their name from the Star Wars franchise. A "nerf" is a domesticated, bison-like quadruped, bred mainly as fatstock; thus, a "nerf herder" (equivalent to a sheep herder) is not a well-regarded occupation, especially not by Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher). In the film The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Leia insults Han Solo (Harrison Ford) for asserting that she has romantic feelings for him: "Why you stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerfherder!"Quote from The Empire Strikes Back. Solo naturally takes exception: "Who's scruffy-looking...?" Band members Current members *Parry Gripp – vocals, guitar (1994–2003, 2005–present) *Steve Sherlock – drums, vocals (1994–2003, 2005–present) *Ben Pringle – bass, vocals (2002–2003, 2009–present) *Linus of Hollywood – guitar, keyboards (2008–present) Former members *Charlie Dennis – bass, vocals (1994–1998, 2005–2009) *Dave Ehrlich – guitar (1997–2003) *Pete Newbury – bass, vocals (1998–1999) *Marko 72 – bass (1999) *Justin Fisher – bass, vocals, keyboards (1999–2002) Timeline ImageSize = width:750 height:250 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:50 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1994 till:05/31/2018 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:Guitar value:green legend:Guitar id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Keys value:purple legend:Keyboards id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums id:Lines value:black legend:releases Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:3 start:01/01/1994 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:01/01/1994 LineData = at:11/01/1996 color:black layer:back at:06/01/2000 color:black layer:back at:08/13/2002 color:black layer:back at:03/01/2008 color:black layer:back at:03/11/2016 color:black layer:back BarData = bar:Gripp text:"Parry Gripp" bar:Ehrlich text:"Dave Ehrlich" bar:Linus text:"Linus of Hollywood" bar:Dennis text:"Charlie Dennis" bar:Newbury text:"Pete Newbury" bar:Marko text:"Marko 72" bar:Fisher text:"Justin Fisher" bar:Pringle text:"Ben Pringle" bar:Sherlock text:"Steve Sherlock" PlotData= width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Gripp from:01/01/1994 till:06/01/2003 color:Vocals bar:Gripp from:01/01/1994 till:06/01/2003 color:Guitar width:3 bar:Gripp from:06/01/2005 till:end color:Vocals bar:Gripp from:06/01/2005 till:end color:Guitar width:3 bar:Sherlock from:01/01/1994 till:06/01/2003 color:Drums bar:Sherlock from:01/01/1994 till:06/01/2003 color:Vocals width:3 bar:Sherlock from:06/01/2005 till:end color:Drums bar:Sherlock from:06/01/2005 till:end color:Vocals width:3 bar:Dennis from:01/01/1994 till:03/01/1998 color:Bass bar:Dennis from:01/01/1994 till:03/01/1998 color:Vocals width:3 bar:Dennis from:06/01/2005 till:10/01/2009 color:Bass bar:Dennis from:06/01/2005 till:10/01/2009 color:Vocals width:3 bar:Ehrlich from:06/01/1997 till:06/01/2003 color:Guitar bar:Linus from:06/01/2008 till:end color:Guitar bar:Linus from:06/01/2008 till:end color:Keys width:3 bar:Newbury from:03/01/1998 till:06/01/1999 color:Bass bar:Newbury from:03/01/1998 till:06/01/1999 color:Vocals width:3 bar:Marko from:06/01/1999 till:10/01/1999 color:Bass bar:Fisher from:10/01/1999 till:09/01/2002 color:Bass bar:Fisher from:10/01/1999 till:09/01/2002 color:Vocals width:7 bar:Fisher from:10/01/1999 till:09/01/2002 color:Keys width:3 bar:Pringle from:09/01/2002 till:06/01/2003 color:Bass bar:Pringle from:09/01/2002 till:06/01/2003 color:Vocals width:3 bar:Pringle from:10/01/2009 till:end color:Bass bar:Pringle from:10/01/2009 till:end color:Vocals width:3 Discography ;Studio albums * Nerf Herder (1996) My Records/Arista Records * How to Meet Girls (2000) Honest Don's Records * American Cheese (2002) Honest Don's Records * Nerf Herder IV (2008) Oglio Records * Rockingham (2016) Golfshirt Records ;Extended plays * My E.P. (2001) My Records * High Voltage Christmas Rock (2002) self-released ;Singles ;Compilation album appearances The following are songs that have been featured on compilations that have not been released on any of the band's albums or EPs * Happy Meals: A Smorgasbord of My Fav Songs (1996) My Records – "Sorry" (alt version) * ''BASEketball'' soundtrack (1998) Mojo/Universal – "Don't Hate Me (Because I'm Beautiful)" * Short Music For Short People (1999) Fat Wreck Chords – "Doin' Laundry" * Metal Rules: Tribute to Bad Hair Days (1999) Priority Records – "Kiss Me Deadly" * Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Album (1999) TVT Records – "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Theme" * Happy Meals Vol. 2 - The Perfect Marriage (2001) My Records – "Hospital" * Happy Meals Volume 3 (2002) My Records – "Jacket" * That Darn Punk Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2002) Kung Fu Records – "Siegfried and Roy" * Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault: Jawbreaker Tribute (2003) Dying Wish Records – "Chesterfield King" * Wrecktrospective (2009) Fat Wreck Chords – "5000 Ways to Die" (demo) * Have a Crappy Summer (2012) Crappy Records – "I'm the Droid You're Looking For" * Dog Songs (2017) – "Gary and the Princess" References External links * *Nerf Herder on Fat Wreck Category:Alternative rock groups from California Category:Arista Records artists Category:Punk rock groups from California Category:Musical groups established in 1994 Category:Geek rock groups